Daily WHUFC News - 1st September 2013

Pennant free-kick beats Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United were below par as they lost 1-0 to Stoke City on Saturday
31.08.2013

West Ham United's unbeaten start to the Barclays Premier League season went
up in smoke at home to Stoke City on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers were
subdued as they tried to make it back-to-back home wins at the start of the
new campaign, and Mark Hughes' Stoke side took advantage. Jermaine Pennant's
free kick eight minutes from the end made the difference, as Stoke became
the first side to score past the Hammers in the league this term. West Ham
rarely offered a serious threat at the other end and could have few
complaints over the result at the end. Stoke were the team showing the
greater intent early on and Kenwyne Jones created a chance for himself with
ten minutes on the clock when he outmuscled Winston Reid just inside the
Hammers half to set a run in motion. As he neared the penalty area it looked
as though he would be able to get a clear shot away, but James Collins
tracked back superbly to pressurise the away striker and force his eventual
effort off target. Four minutes later Mark Noble gave away a free kick 25
yards from goal and Jussi Jaaskelainen showed good hands to gather Charlie
Adam's shot as it bounced just in front of him. The biggest moment of danger
in the first half arrived with 22 minutes played when Marc Wilson's volley
from the edge of the box swerved and dipped on Jaaskelainen, meaning he
could not gather cleanly, and the Finn had to spring back up sharply to deny
Jonathan Walters on the rebound. Stoke were enjoying the better of the
possession and territory as the Hammers struggled to move the ball at a
tempo. Modibo Maiga still had a presentable chance to nod the Hammers into a
34th minute lead when he pulled off Ryan Shawcross to meet a Matt Jarvis
cross, but he failed the hit the target from close range and Stoke survived
that scare.

West Ham needed to improve in the second half, and they did do a better job
of keeping a handle on their visitors in the third quarter as chances at
both ends were restricted to those of a long range variety. Steven N'Zonzi
and Wilson both fired off target from outside the box for the visitors,
while Reid could not control a header for the Hammers following a floated
Collins free kick from deep, with the ball passing over the top. Reid was
involved again on 70 minutes, volleying over the top after a corner from the
left was only partially cleared. The Hammers looked to be edging towards a
third clean sheet in succession, but a foul by Mo Diame on Glenn Whelan on
the edge of the box eight minutes from time gave Stoke the chance to end the
hosts' unblemished defensive record. Pennant stepped up to take the free
kick and found the net to Jaaskelainen's left, sending West Ham off on the
international break on a sour note.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien; Nolan, Noble
(Collison 84), Diame (Lee 88); Downing (Morrison 64), Maiga, Jarvis
Subs: Adrian, Tomkins, Rat, Taylor
Booked: Reid, Collins

Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Pieters; Wilson, N'Zonzi;
Etherington (Pennant 76), Adam (Whelan 76), Walters; Jones
Subs: Sorensen, Muniesa, Assaidi, Crouch, Jerome
Goal: Pennant 82

Booked: Cameron
Attendance: 34,946
Referee: Jon Moss

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Under-18s defeated at Wolves
WHUFC.com
The Academy side lost by the odd goal in three at Wolverhampton Wanderers on
Saturday
31.08.2013

West Ham United's Under-18s were made to rue two moments of defensive
sloppiness in their 2-1 Barclays U18 Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton
Wanderers on Saturday. The Hammers switched off from two corners either side
of half time and paid the ultimate price on both, meaning Kieran Bywater's
free-kick counted for little. There was little to choose between the sides
in a scrappy opening period, which saw Jordan Brown go close from a half
chance.
However, Wolves managed to edge in front from a set play, and they repeated
the trick just three minutes after the break. West Ham rallied, with Jerry
Amoo hitting the post and Jamie Harney having a header cleared off the line.
Bywater then halved the deficit with a free-kick right out of the top
drawer, and although the young Hammers ended the contest strongly, time was
against them in their efforts to find a leveller. Academy Director Tony Carr
MBE was frustrated that set plays proved to be the Hammers' downfall. He
said: "It's disappointing because we knew their strengths were at set pieces
and we'd done a lot of work on them in the week before the game. "To lose a
marker again so soon after half time, when we had worked on organising
ourselves was disappointing too. "The pleasing part of the performance was
in the way we rallied. Our heads could have dropped, but they didn't and
Kieran Bywater scored a fantastic free-kick."

West Ham United: Nemrava, Girdlestone, Mavila, Harney, Burke, Makasi, Amoo,
Parfitt-Williams, Martins, Bywater, Brown

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Spence loaned to Owls
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on loan until
28 September
31.08.2013

Jordan Spence has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on emergency
loan until 28 September. The former England Under-21 defender is expected to
make his debut for the Owls at Middlesbrough this afternoon. Spence, 23, has
previously enjoyed loan spells at Leyton Orient, Scunthorpe United and
Bristol City. The Woodford-born player made his West Ham United debut in May
2010, when he appeared as a late substitute in the final-day draw with
Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground. Spence has totalled ten first-team
appearances for the Hammers, but has not played for Sam Allardyce's side
since the FA Cup third-round replay at Manchester United in January.

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Sam shocked by Stoke loss
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was taken aback by West Ham United's 1-0 home Barclays Premier
League defeat by Stoke City
31.08.2013

Manager Sam Allardyce admitted to being taken aback by West Ham United's 1-0
home Barclays Premier League defeat by Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers
were second best to the Potters at the Boleyn Ground and were left with
nothing to show for their efforts when substitute Jermaine Pennant curled a
disputed free-kick past Jussi Jaaskelainen with just eight minutes to play.
Speaking to West Ham TV, Big Sam was not impressed with his team's display
in losing their first home game since February.

What is your reaction to a rare bad day at the Boleyn Ground?

SA: "Well it's a real shock to me and I think everybody who came to watch
the game will be as shocked as I am because we obviously were looking
forward to this home game after how far we've come in a short period of
time. "Certainly after the week when we beat Cardiff and were disappointed
not to win at Newcastle where we were the better side, to see a performance
that is the complete opposite to what we normally are [was disappointing].
"Stoke go away with the three points and there's not a lot of arguing I
could do against that because we just didn't get to the level we know we
can. Because we didn't do that, we didn't put Stoke City under any real
pressure. "In the end, they scored after a sloppy bit of play by ourselves
giving the ball away in our own half and then giving the free-kick away.
Obviously, the technical part of Jermaine Pennant's free-kick was superb,
but we should never have let ourselves get into that position. "Instead of
digging it out and, despite being decidedly average, come out with a
nil-nil, we've ended up losing the game."

Can you put your finger on why we didn't perform to the same level we have
done at home so consistently in recent months?

SA: "No, not really. I'll have to have a think about that for a while and
review the game again but what I can say is that when you have a player
performing to his normal best, we had the team rally round him, but when you
get so many who don't play how we know they can like they did today [it's
difficult]. "I have to give the back four a lot of credit because they are
really void of any criticism. For all the game, they defended with great
spirit because Stoke had the majority of the possession and put us under
more pressure than we did them. "It's disappointing from our front-six point
of view and what they didn't create, but from a back-four and goalkeeper
point of view, they nearly mastered their way through to another clean sheet
and a point for us, which would have been very precious. Unfortunately, they
got the blow with that free-kick at the end. "In creative terms, our players
who do create didn't, and that's why we had such a lacklustre performance."

Presumably the international break will give you the time to get the likes
of Andy Carroll (heel), Joe Cole (hamstring) and Joey O'Brien (managing his
knee following historic injuries) up to speed ahead of the trip to
Southampton on Sunday 15 September?

SA: "When we finished Newcastle away we were in a perfectly good position
because we were going to make sure that the players who played could have a
rest against Cheltenham. It also meant we could play some of the players who
were sitting on the bench or who had been left out of squad in our first two
games, and some of the younger end like Leo Chambers. "It was a thoroughly
good game and a really good result for us, apart from the fact Alou Diarra
crushed his cruciate ligament which finishes this season. "George McCartney
making his comeback after a long time out with a serious injury was
pleasing, but then on Thursday Ricardo Vaz Te said he is not happy and wants
to leave, Joe Cole got injured on Friday morning and we lost on Saturday. It
shows you how quickly things can change. "I was very happy last weekend and
now I'm as miserable as sin."

Finally, the transfer window closes on Monday night. Can we expect much
activity?

SA: "I keep telling everybody that, budget-wise, we've come to an end and we
roll with what we've got unless something happens going out. "One thing is
for sure - at this late stage we have 48 hours and there is probably enough
time to complete the process of bringing somebody in on its own. The
transition of one out and one in, the timing has to be perfect because the
player we're allowing to go out cannot go before the player we're bringing
in has signed. "If the player goes out and he's gone, he's gone. If the one
coming in changes his mind or someone else rings him up and offers more
money, then we're absolutely finished so we cannot allow that to happen.
"That's why I think it'll be very difficult to bring someone in, but we'll
always have a look and if someone wants to buy one of our players for the
right fee and they want to go - for example, Vaz Te at the moment who has
decided he wants to leave - we'll have some funds to bring someone else in.
"We have a list of targets but more loan players than permanent deals at
this stage. It's not difficult to bring a player in if you have funds, but
it's difficult to bring the right player in. That's the ultimate test for us
- if we bring one in at this stage, are we bringing him in because the
window is closing when deep down we know he's not quite good enough? I saw a
lot of that happening at this stage, but we want to avoid that if we can.
"If there is a top player who wants to come and join us, then that would be
very good."

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'We've got to put it behind us'
WHUFC.com
James Collins was defiant in defeat, hoping the Hammers will come back
strongly next time out
31.08.2013

James Collins was as bemused as anyone as to why West Ham United struggled
to hit the heights against Stoke City, as the Hammers' unbeaten start to the
campaign ended in a low-key 1-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at the Boleyn
Ground. A frustrating afternoon for Sam Allardyce's men looked to be headed
for a goalless draw, before second-half substitute Jermaine Pennant planted
a fine free-kick beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen with just eight minutes to play.
It proved sufficient to see the Potters depart east London with all three
points, a result that left Collins wondering why the hosts had struggled to
reproduce their typical tempo and fluency. "We weren't great," he
admitted. "Obviously in the first half we weren't the best and at half-time
we could only improve, but unfortunately we weren't able to do that. It was
a strange one. We've just talked about it in the dressing room, but we never
got out the blocks. I think to be fair to Stoke they came and did a very
good job. They stopped us playing and we didn't have too many passes on.
"We didn't want to just lump it up front, because they're good in the air at
the back. They made it difficult for us and to be honest I thought it was
going to be a 0-0. Unless there was something special and Jermaine has
produced a free-kick from nowhere."

In his attempts to explain the Hammers' sluggish start, Collins confessed it
is not the first time that he and his colleagues have struggled to hit the
ground running, pointing to last year's visit of Southampton. "We did it a
couple of last times last year. The gaffer has just mentioned Southampton at
home last season, we were terrible first half and then came out and ended up
winning 4-1. "It just didn't click today, no one can quite put their finger
on it. We've just got to put it behind us. We've got a long time until the
next game to work on it and that's what we'll do."

With an international break now upon them, Big Sam's side have a fortnight
before a trip to St Mary's and Collins is hopeful the Hammers will use the
extended break to their advantage. "You want to get rid of it straight
away, we've got 15 days to dwell on a loss at home, so we don't really want
that, but it gives us more time on the training pitch to work on stuff. I
think you've got to [write this one off]. It's hard sometimes to do that,
but you don't want to dwell on it for too long. We'll get back on the
training pitch and working hard. A few of the boys are going away on
international duty, so we'll miss them, but we've got to look forward to
getting three points at Southampton."

Even in defeat, Collins collected the Man of the Match award, though he was
not about to take solace in his own accolades, nor in another solid
defensive display. That said, the Welsh centre-half was certainly impressed
with the application of fellow Welshman Mark Hughes' men. He continued:
"The back four did alright, they had a few shots and Jussi's made a great
save first half. But it doesn't really matter, we still lost 1-0. If it were
0-0 we'd obviously be happier, but you're never content as a defender if you
lose. They changed it about. A new manager and a new style of play. They did
a job on us. They stopped us playing and when they had the ball they did
very well. It looks good for them."

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Saunderson eyes Pompey victory
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies manager Mark Saunderson is targeting a win over
Portsmouth on Sunday
31.08.2013

West Ham United Ladies manager Mark Saunderson is feeling confident that his
side can bounce back from an opening day defeat when they face Portsmouth
Ladies on Sunday. The Hammers went ahead against Charlton Ladies at Sporting
Club Thamesmead last weekend through a goal from new signing Cherrelle
Albert, only for Charlton to turn the game on its head to take the spoils.
When reflecting on Sunday's 2-1 FA Women's Premier League Southern Division
defeat, Saunderson believed that a share of the points would have been a
fairer result. "I believe that a draw would have been a fair result to both
teams," said Saunderson. "Charlton had the greater possession in the first
half but I was pleased that the defensive shape and movement that we have
been working on in pre-season was evident. "I thought the midfield three of
Becky Merritt, Lindsey Morgan and Stacey Little worked well as a unit and
protected the back line. The front three worked hard to close the ball down
in the final third and the back line was solid. As a result, we really
restricted Charlton to shooting from distance but I was also pleased that we
still created chances. "At half-time we asked to the team to open up the
field with their movement and we looked the better team in the second half.
I thought that the build-up play for our goal was excellent and I don't
think Kelley Blanchflower has ever hit a sweeter shot that hit the post for
Cherrelle to tuck away the rebound. "To be fair to Charlton the free-kick
strike from Kim Dixon for the equaliser was special and Emma Harrison took
her goal well, but we kept going and had chances to get back into the game
right until the final whistle."

One area that Saunderson has been working hard on throughout pre-season with
his squad is improving the overall team spirit and bonding throughout the
club. The former Fulham Ladies boss was impressed with the character his
team showed. "Most importantly, I was impressed with the team spirit that we
showed and you can see that from the team celebration when we scored," he
continued. "We showed real character and some of the individual
performances, Danica Revell, Natalie Crinean and Hayley West to name but a
few were really top draw. "I was pleased to hand Sasha Kelly her debut at
left-back and felt that she grew into the game as time went on. Overall, I
was disappointed with the final result but not the performance or the
character displayed."
West Ham Ladies' opening home fixture of the season takes place on Sunday,
when they face another tough opponent in the shape of Portsmouth Ladies.
However, Saunderson is adamant that his squad understand the need to prepare
properly and that, should they perform to expectation, the right result will
come. "I think that whilst the team performance was good on Sunday it is
still not at the level that the team can attain. I feel that the pre-season
preparation has really indicated the quality that we have as a squad and the
performances on the training ground and in matches are starting to highlight
this to others. I genuinely feel that the game plan that we are working
towards has been embraced by all of the players and management team and that
we are on the right track. "What is pleasing about this group of players is
that they understand the importance of preparation and approach one game at
a time. They understand the game plan and have the motivation to learn from
games and apply that to training and the next match. "Some people would
suggest that we have a tough start because the opening schedule has thrown
us against teams that were in the National Division last season but I
genuinely sense that the squad see these games as an opportunity to test
ourselves. "It will be another tough test against Portsmouth but we are at
home and we will prepare in the right way. Our focus is not on the result
but on our performance because ultimately the right performance determines
the right result."

Kick-off in Sunday's game at Thurrock FC in Ship Lane, Aveley is at 2pm.

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West Ham display against Stoke not good enough - Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has criticised his side following their first
defeat at home since February. Stoke claimed three points at Upton Park
through a late Jermaine Pennant free-kick, but the hosts did not trouble
visiting keeper Asmir Begovic "At home, I haven't seen us play that badly
since we've been back in the Premier League, sadly," Allardyce said. "We
still can't reach the level of consistency this league demands. It was a
really off day for us, a bad day." The Hammers did not manage a single shot
on target against the Potters, and their only goals in the Premier League so
far this season came in their 2-0 opening day win over Cardiff City.
Although Pennant's strike was the first goal West Ham have conceded in the
league this campaign, Allardyce was unhappy with his side's all-round
performance. "We have to accept that at this moment in time it looks like
we're still establishing ourselves in the Premier League," he said.
"Our back four limited Stoke very well. But the front six, in terms of
creativity, really wasn't there. It really wasn't good enough and we played
poorly, individually and collectively."

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Allardyce on.....Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 31st August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2

Sam Allardyce gives his view of today's poor performance against Stoke City.
Like us he was not impressed…..

Sam: Was that a case of too many players being off colour?

It were a bit more than "off colour" for me! At home, I haven't seen us play
that bad since our arrival back in the Premier League last season, sadly.

As a group and as a squad of players, we've started the season very well.
The players that had competed so well in the Cardiff and Newcastle games
were, in the main, rested for the Cheltenham game to prepare themselves
properly and to build on our good performances and to elaborate on them.

Unfortunately, we got the opposite today. So we have to take it on the chin
and accept that, at this moment in time, we're still establishing ourselves
in the Premier League and that our lads can't quite get to the level of
consistency that this league demands.

So, it's a really off day for us and a bad day. Stoke City capitalised in
the end with a tremendous free-kick from Jermaine Pennant.

The only plus for me is the back four and the goalkeeper who limited Stoke
very well. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough to get that all-important
clean sheet again. The front six, in terms of creativity... It really wasn't
there today.

Why do you think that was? Is there any reason they should all be like that?

Well you've got to give some credit to Stoke. They were on the front foot
more than we were. We kept getting the possession we were looking for but we
kept giving it straight back to the opposition with poor passing. That
encourages the opposition and they begin to come out and play more.

They actually took control of the game in the first half. We tried to make
things better in the second half – we did force them back much better than
we did in the first but it really really wasn't good enough. We didn't
create any chances out of that and Stoke got behind the ball and crowded us
out.

So individually and collectively we've played poorly today. Stoke have
played very well – I don't want to take anything away from them – but in the
end I was saying that it would have been a very well-earned point had we got
one, one we didn't probably deserve.

Do you think you need to strengthen the squad up front given that Andy
Carroll is so injury-prone?

No; it's a bit naughty to say he's injury prone. I understand why you say
that because he had three injuries last year. We don't have – unless anybody
gets sold – any money to spend.

Can you tell us what the situation is with Joey O'Brien? He's not going to
play for Ireland but he played today?

I'm not sure that he was actually called up. He was in the preliminary squad
– nothing else.

They've released a statement saying he'll be having surgery this week?

I have no idea. I'm not the medical man – I simply have no idea what you are
talking about. Our medical team will be in severe trouble because you're
telling me something I do not know. [A club spokesman later clarified that
the statement in question referred to Joey having "treatment" and not
"surgery" as suggested by the journalist in question]

What are the chances of you selling someone in time and doing that
strengthening?

Slim, I would say. There's what, 48 hours to go? Just over. If you're going
to get somebody out to get someone else in, you can't move anybody out until
you've brought somebody in. The timing's critical.

If you only need to get players in like we did last year when we got Andy
Carroll, Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun in on loan, that's an easy job. But
if you've got to overlap one going out and one coming in because of the
financial differences, you're almost having to have them sign at the same
time. That makes things extremely difficult.

I can't let a player go to the opposition until a player coming in has
signed – even if he's in the building. If something goes wrong at that late
stage, it's finished – there's nothing you can do about it.

It's also extremely difficult to find players of the quality to play at this
level. The player that we bring in we might need or want to play at
Southampton. If there's a player that we bring in it's not going to be from
this country. It's going to be from abroad.

Andy Carroll; how far away is he?

He's training now on a daily basis. We'd hope by the end of this week he'll
be joining in with the other players.

So possibly Southampton?

At the very very earliest, yes. Thank you.

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Late Jermaine Pennant free-kick wins game for Stoke
Last Updated: August 31, 2013 6:12pm
SSN

A fantastic free-kick from Jermaine Pennant earned Stoke City a deserved 1-0
victory over West Ham in the Premier League at Upton Park. The hosts seemed
destined to record a third successive clean sheet in the Premier League as
the game headed towards a goalless draw, only for referee Jonathan Moss to
penalise Mohamed Diame for shoving Glenn Whelan in the 82nd minute.

Best of the match

Man of the match: Jermaine Pennant. He came on with 12 minutes to go and won
the game with eight left on the clock.

Goal of the match: Pennant's free-kick was very special. He lifted the ball
over the wall and past Jaaskelainen in a flash.

Save of the match: Jaaskelainen made a stunning double save to deny Wilson
and Walters.

Stat of the match: The much travelled Pennant scored his first goal in 63
games, stretching back almost two years.
Talking points: Will Potters boss Mark Hughes be pleased with his side's
early season progress? Do West Ham need to bring in new faces before
transfer deadline day?

Pennant stepped up and struck a stunning right-foot curler over the wall to
earn the Potters back-to-back wins in the Premier League for only the second
time this year.

It was his first goal in 63 games, which stretched back over two years, as
City ended the Hammers' unbeaten start to the season. Visiting Stoke were
the more dominant side, but failed to make their possession pay. Jussi
Jaaskelainen repelled a point-blank shot from Jonathan Walters in the first
period after parrying out Marc Wilson's long-range effort, while Matt
Jarvis' right-wing cross was headed just wide of goal by Modibo Maiga. There
was very little between the sides in the second half and one moment of magic
was enough for the visitors to earn their second league win of the season.
The return of Andy Carroll, out with a heel injury, cannot come soon enough
and the England striker is expected to be available for Southampton on
September 15. This performance may convince Sam Allardyce that
reinforcements are needed before the transfer window closes on Monday, while
in contrast Hughes must be pleased with the early progress he is making at
Stoke. The visitors' superiority was evident from the start as they moved
the ball forward purposefully.

Kenwyne Jones ran almost half the pitch as his strength took him past Kevin
Nolan and, when James Collins arrived to provide pressure, he skied his shot
into the stands from 15 yards out. Stoke began to ride their luck a bit as
Diame and Joey O'Brien caused problems either side of the area, but they
went desperately close to taking the lead in the 23rd minute. A dipping
long-range shot from Wilson deceived Jaaskelainen, who could only parry it
to the side. Walters arrived to bury the follow-up but the West Ham keeper
reacted just in time. Stoke were dominating the game but needed to make more
of their chances as Steven N'Zonzi thumped a shot into the advertising
boards. It was West Ham who proved wasteful with 10 minutes of the first
half remaining after Maiga directed a perfect cross from Jarvis wide. The
match desperately needed a goal, but as the second half progressed it seemed
farther away than ever.
Winston Reid landed heavily on his left shoulder following an aerial duel
with Jones but, despite being in obvious pain, he continued playing after a
brief spell on the sidelines.

West Ham replaced the ineffective Stewart Downing with Ravel Morrison with
almost half an hour left, but a burst of pace from Jarvis proved he was
still his side's most dangerous player. Finally Stoke's defence was having
to work as crosses began to arrive into their box with increasing
regularity, Reid going close on one occasion. Guy Demel squared the ball
across the face of goal but there were no team-mates in place to take
advantage. Then Stoke struck the telling blow with both substitutes involved
- Whelan winning the free-kick that was beautifully buried by Pennant.

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Stoke consider Matt Taylor and Joel Pohjanpalo transfers - but Cameron
Jerome could join Reading
31 Aug 2013 22:29
The Mirror

Stoke boss Mark Hughes is weighing up a deadline-day move for West Ham
midfielder Matt Taylor, writes Dave Kidd in the Sunday People. Taylor has
been made available by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce and has attracted interest
from several Championship clubs, including Reading. But the 31-year-old is
holding out for a loan or permanent deal at a top-flight club. Meanwhile,
Reading chief Nigel Adkins is in talks with Stoke for striker Cameron
Jerome, writes Alan Nixon. Adkins is prepared to pay £2million, but it
depends on the Potters finding a new forward. The Royals' boss is willing to
wait for the loan window to re-open if Jerome is still out of favour.

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